Drapery holder

ABSTRACT

A wire loop hanger is provided with a removable shaft supporting a plurality of movable clamp elements individually engaging and gripping a like plurality of pleats of a pleated drapery panel for holding and supporting the drapery panel in ready-to-beinstalled stored position prior to its installation at its point of destination.

United States Patent Franklin July 29, 1975 DRAPERY HOLDER [76] Inventor: Edna M. Franklin, 1500 N.W. 3s, jg' g g gfg 'g f fgt z gaf kl 7 Oklahoma City 0 a l8 Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Robert K. Rhea [22] Filed: Aug. 9, 1973 [21] App]. No.: 387,085

[57] ABSTRACT [52] US. Cl. 206/326; 160/348; 223/85 A wire loop hanger is provided with a removable shaft [51] Int. Cl 86511 85/00 supporting a plurality of movable clamp elements indi- [58] Field of Search 206/326; 223/91, 96, 85; vidually engaging and gripping a like plurality of pleats 160/348 of a pleated drapery panel for holding and supporting the drapery panel in ready-to-Ibe-installed stored posi- [56] References Cited tion prior to its installation at its point of destination.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 9/1968 Farrell 160/348 2 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures DRAPERY HOLDER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION l. Field of the invention.

Like characters of reference designate like parts in The present invention relates to draperies and more those figures of the drawings in which y Occurparticularly to a supporting hanger or holder for readyto-be-installed pleated drapery panels.

One of the problems associated with redecorating homes or businesses having glass closed openings covered by draperies has been maintaining the draperies in a clean and neat appearing condition free from wrinkles, or the like, between the time of manufacture and- /or cleaning and connection with the drapery supporting rods, such as during transportation to or from their final location or while awaiting completion of a build ing in new construction work. These drapery panels, in many installations extend substantially the full distance between the ceiling and floor surfaces and sometimes have a width greater than their vertical height. It has generally been the practice, in caring for pleated drapery panels, to place a band of paper or other material around the pleated stitched end and around the opposite end of the drapery panel which generally results in the drapery material becoming wrinkled, as by transversely folding it, and as a result of a plurality of such panels being stored on a horizontal surface in superposed relation.

This invention overcomes the problems of drapery storage by providing a hanger and clamping means for vertically suspending such drapery panels.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A coat hanger-like wire loop frame is provided with a removable horizontal cross bar or shaft. A plurality of clamps are removably supported by the shaft and are slidable therealong. Each clamp grips one pleated portion of the pleated end portion of a drapery panel. A length of thread or cord is extended transversely through the depending end portion of the juxtaposed folds of the pleated drapery panel and is frictionally engaged with a pair of drapery fold retaining plates removably connected to the respective end of the cord or thread adjacent the outer surface of the respective out ermost fold.

The principle object of this invention is to provide a drapery folded panel holding and supporting means for storage or for transporting the drapery panel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating the drapery holder supporting a folded drapery panel and illustrating, by dotted lines, the manner in which the frame of the holder may be supported by a traverse rod, or the like;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view, to a larger scale, of one of the drapery clamps;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of one of the drapery fold retaining plates;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating another embodiment of the hanger; and,

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary end elevational view, to a larger scale, of the hanger rod support members of FIG. 4.

Referring more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2, the reference numeral 10 indicates a panel of pleated drapery material formed of selected fabric usually provided along its upwardly disposed marginal edge with a fabric stiffener, such as crinoline. or the like. This marginal edge portion is then folded over upon itself to form a plurality of juxtaposed folds to form pleats 12 with these pleats permanently stitched together and extending toward the opposite or depending marginal edge of the drapery material a selected distance. These stitched together pleats i2 then are juxtaposed and generate the folds 14 of the drapery material extending from the depending limits of the pleats to the bottom edge of the drapery material. The transverse spacing between the stitched position of the pleats: i2 determines the fold depth or quantity of material between the folds 14.

The above description of the drapery panel is conventional and it is with such drapery panels that the present invention is intended to be used.

The reference numeral 20 indicates a coat hangerlike wire loop frame, substantially rectangular in side elevational view, having an upper horizontal bar 22 provided, medially its ends, with a pivotally connected inverted .Lshaped suspension hook 24. The respective end portions of the horizontal bar 22 are turned downward, in a common plane, at right angle to form parallel legs 26 and 28, respectively, terminating, laterally of the plane of the legs, in a doubled back end portion forming upwardly open loop members 30 and 32, respectively, for removably receiving and frictionally gripping the respective end portions of a hanger rod or shaft 34 extending horizontally therebetween. The length of the frame 20 and the support shaft 34 is equal to and preferably greater than the distance across the pleated edge portions of a drapery panel 10 when arranged in stored position, as shown by FIG. 1.

A plurality of clothespin-like spring clamps 36, one for each of the pleats 12 of the drapery panel to be supported, are connected with the support shaft 34. The clamps 36 each include a pair of oppositely disposed clamp members 38 and 40 joined together to form handle end portions and opposite jaw or gripping end portions with the jaw end portions normally urged toward each other by a spring member 42 having a helical spring wound intermediate portion 44 intermediate its ends interposed between the clamp members 38 and 40 with the respective end portions of the spring extending transversely across the respective clamp member adjacent their jaw end portion.

A closed loop member 46, formed of rod material having its ends joined together, has an intermediate portion extending coaxially through the spring helical portion 44 with the opposite end of the loop projecting beyond the end of the handle end portions of the clamp members and slidably surrounding loosely the horizontal support rod 34. Thus, the respective clamp 36 may be opened by manually moving the handle end portions of its members 38 and 40 toward each other for receiving and gripping, by their clamp jaw end portions, the respective pleated portion 12 of the drapery panel. The clamps 36 may be moved by the loop member 46 to any position desired along the support rod 34 or additional clamps may be added as needed.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the hanger legs 26 and 28 may be provided with oppositely disposed hanger rod holding loops 32 and 32" so that a pair of rod hangers 34 may be horizontally juxtaposed and each support a plurality of the clamp members 36 permitting the clamp members 36 to be staggered in alternating side by side relation on the respective hanger rods 34 to arrange the drapery pleated portinons 12 in a more compact configuration which is particularly desirable when the normally expanded width of the drapery panel extends for several feet.

Referring also to FIG. 3, a planar drapery panel folded end portion plate or retainer is illustrated at 50 comprising an elongated rod which is arcuately bent and doubled back upon itself to form a loop 52 and further arcuately curved laterally of the loop 52 and doubled back upon itself to form oppositely disposed loops 54 and 56 with the respective end portions of the rod member arcuately curved inwardly toward the loop 52 in spiral fashion, as at 58 and 60, with the loops and spirals all lying in a common plane. The purpose of doubling the rod member back upon itself to form the loops 52, 54 and 56 is so that a small cord or thread 62 may be pulled, by lateral movement of the thread 62, into either one of the loops 52, 54 or 56 which frictionally impinges the thread. A pair of the drapery fold retainers 50 and 50 are normally used for each folded drapery panel 10 wherein one end portion of the thread 62 is placed within one of the retainer loops, preferably the loop 52, of one retainer 50 and a simple knot tied in the end of the thread adjacent the retainer. The other end of the thread is connected with a needle, not shown, and passed in a threading action through the respective folds 14 of the folded drapery panel 10. The needle connected end of the thread 62 is then pulled into one of the retainer loops of the other retainer 50 and a knot tied in the end of the thread after removing the needle thus maintaining the depending end portions of the drapery folds 14 in parallel juxtaposed relation. The retainers 50 and 50 form pressure plates which distribute any pull or disarranging movement of the drapery folds 14 over an area of the material equal to the area encompassed by the outermost surface or periphery of the respective retainer. When the stored drapery panel 10 is ready for installation at its destination, the hanger hook 24 may be used for supporting the drapery panel 10 while it is being transferred to a traverse rod and supported by conventional drapery hooks.

Alternatively, the hanger legs 26 and 28 may each be provided with an arm 70 projecting laterally of the plane of the hanger in horizontal parallel relation for engaging a portion of a traverse rod 72 to support the drapery panel 10 while disconnecting the respective drapery pleat fold 12 from its supporting clamp 36 and connecting it to a traverse rod in a conventional manner.

Before disconnecting the clamps 36 from the pleat folds 12, the retainers 50 and 50' are first removed by simply cutting the thread 62.

Obviously the invention issusceptible to changes or alterations without defeating its practicability, therefore, I do not wish to be confined to the preferred embodiment shown in the drawings and described herein.

I claim: I

1. In a hanger for a drapery panel having a plurality of pleated folds formed in one marginal edge portion and having the pleat folds arranged vertically in juxtaposition. the improvement comprising:

a downwardly open vertically planar wire loop frame including a pair of depending legs defining the opening;

a pair of support arms connected with said frame legs in horizontal laterally projecting parallel relation;

a J-shaped suspension hook pivotally connected by its shank portion with said frame opposite the opening;

a shaft extending horizontally across the'opening of said frame;

means, including a .l-shaped loop formed on the depending end of each said leg and projecting laterally of the frame plane, removably connecting said shaft with said frame;

a plurality of drapery pleat fold gripping clamp means supported by said shaft, said clamp means including a spring clamp clothespin comprising a pair of cooperating clamp members movable at their respective ends toward and away from each other and having the intermediate portion of a spring helically wound and transversely interposed between the clamp members intermediate the ends of the latter, and,

a closed wire loop projecting through the helical portion of said spring and loosely slidably surrounding said shaft;

a pair of frabric retainer plates respectively contacting the outermost surface of the depending end portion of said drapery panel and cooperating with said clamp means in maintaining said drapery panel folds juxtaposed; and,

a thread extending through the material of said drapery panel between and connected at its respective ends with said pair of retainer plates. I

2. The hanger according to claim 1 in which each said retainer plate comprises:

a wire rod doubled back upon itself medially its ends in juxtaposition to form a central loop and being arcuately curved laterally in the same plane intermediate its respective end portions and doubled back upon itself in juxtaposition to form lateral loops, the respective end portions of said wire rod being arcuately curved spirally inward toward the central loop and respective lateral loop. 

1. In a hanger for a drapery panel having a plurality of pleated folds formed in one marginal edge portion and having the pleat folds arranged vertically in juxtaposition, the improvement comprising: a downwardly open vertically planar wire loop frame including a pair of depending legs defining the opening; a pair of support arms connected with said frame legs in horizontal laterally projecting parallel relation; a J-shaped suspension hook pivotally connected by its shank portion with said frame opposite the opening; a shaft extending horizontally across the opening of said frame; means, including a J-shaped loop formed on the depending end of each said leg and projecting laterally of the frame plane, removably connecting said shaft with said frame; a plurality of drapery pleat fold gripping clamp means supported by said shaft, said clamp means including a spring clamp clothespin comprising a pair of cooperating clamp members movable at their respective ends toward and away from each other and having the intermediate portion of a spring helically wound and transversely interposed between the clamp members intermediate the ends of the latter, and, a closed wire loop projecting through the helical portion of said spring and loosely slidably surrounding said shaft; a pair of frabric retainer plates respectively contacting the outermost surface of the depending end portion of said drapery panel and cooperating with said clamp means in maintaining said drapery panel folds juxtaposed; and, a thread extending through the material of said drapery panel between and Connected at its respective ends with said pair of retainer plates.
 2. The hanger according to claim 1 in which each said retainer plate comprises: a wire rod doubled back upon itself medially its ends in juxtaposition to form a central loop and being arcuately curved laterally in the same plane intermediate its respective end portions and doubled back upon itself in juxtaposition to form lateral loops, the respective end portions of said wire rod being arcuately curved spirally inward toward the central loop and respective lateral loop. 